Suction cleaner



ATTORNEY.

Oct. 4, 1955 G. A. BRACE SUCTION CLEANER Filed Oct. 21, 1953 3Sheets-Sheet 1 ll NW INVENTOR George .4. Brace BY WJM G. A. BRACESUCTION CLEANER Oct. 4, 1955 I5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 21 1955INVENTOH.

w m Y a. m A m w- Z W Y B 3 m F G. A. BRACE SUCTION CLEANER Oct. 4, 19553 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Oct. 21 1953 INVENTOR. George A. Brace BY W 52ATTORNEY.

United States Patent Hoover Company, North Canton, Ohio, a corporationof Ohio Application October2 1, 1953, Serial No. 387,423

19 Claims. (Cl. 183- 51) The present invention relates to Suctioncleaners and more particularly toa novel tank type cleaner constructionhaving an improved and simplified throw-away paper filter and a new modeof mounting the same Within the cleaner.

One of the prime objectives of this invention is to simplify and improvethe means for mounting, and' coupling an inexpensive throw-away paperfilter .bag in a suction cleaner in a manner avoiding the use of complexand ineffective coupling devices heretofore proposed. The presentcoupling is'designed' for use with filters having inlets no larger thanrequired to accommodate the incoming air stream thereby' greatlyminimizing the possibility of dirt escaping from the filter during itsremoval. It is also the purpose of the invention .to provide anexceedingly simple resilient self-expanding. filter coupling which gripsthe edge of the filter inlet automatically and in an airtight manner asitis allowed to expand after insertion into the filter opening. By thesame token, my novel coupling is readily detachable merely by collapsingits side wall inwardly to greatly reduce its cross sectional areathereby facilitating withdrawal from the filter opening. This coupling.may be mounted directly on or separately from the filter chamber accesscover. In either arrangement the same unitary coupling is employed tomake an airtight joint with the filter as well as with the usual suctionhose.

Another feature of the invention involves the provision of a collapsingpaper filter which is completely closed except for a small inlet openingand, in consequence, is designed for a single filling of dirt afterwhich iit is thrown away and replaced by a new bag.

Numerous other features and objectives will become apparent from thefollowing detailed specification of illustrative embodiments taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through a canister type suctioncleaner incorporating the invention according to a preferred embodimentthereof and showing. the newly installed filter bag in place therein;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view through the filter chamber end cap andshowing the latter, as Well as the filter coupling, pivoted outwardlyaway from the filter chamber;

Figure 3 is taken along the plane .33 on Figure .1

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view showing manually operable meansfor collapsing the filter coupling;

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view through .the filter chamber ofanother embodiment showing a filter bag clamped in position therein andthe end cap approaching closed position; and

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of .still another embodimentshowing the filter bag in expanded condition and the suction hosecoupled in place on the cleaner.

Referring now to Figures 1 to 3, it Will be seen that the invention isshown incorporated in a tank cleaner having an elongated cylindricalcasing It) open at its 2,719,600 Patented Oct. 4, 1955 opposite ends andsupported on a pair of runners 11 in accordance with conventionalpractice. The rear end of the casing is closed by an end cap 12' securedthereto as by screws 13 and having a combined air discharge opening andblower hose coupling facility 14. A multiple stage unitary motor-fanunit generally designated 15' is supported horizontally within the rearend of thecasin'g. Preferably, this unit is cradled ina pair ofresilient gaskets 16 and 17 supported respectively in a spider diaphragmplate 18 and an annular ring 19. The. former is provided with a numberof air outlet openings 20 through which the air flows on the way to thedischarge opening 14. Annulus 19 has a large diameter central opening'21. which is normally covered by a porous final filter '22. Themotor-fan unit includes a horizontal axis electric motor 23 directlycoupled to a multiple stage suction fan 24 having an air inlet 25 at itsforward end. The casing of fan 24 may be provided with peripheral airoutlets, not shown, or the air may discharge axially through the motorto cool the same as it flows toward the discharge opening. The drivingmotor is controlled by a push-push snap switch 26 mounted on the upperside of the casing wall and controlled by a switch button 27 located atone end of the carrying handle 28.

The entire forward end of the cleaner casing forms .a. filter chamber29' normally closed by an. end cap 30 pivotally connected to the loweredge of the opening as by hinge 31. The cover is provided witha femalehose socket 32 to which the usual. suction hose. may be detachablyconnected in a well known manner.

As best shown in Figure 3, the cleaner casingv is of rounded rectangularshape in cross section. Secured to the inner side wall adjacent theinlet end ofv the casingis a flanged ring 33 against which a resilientsealing gasket 34 carried by the end cap seats when the end .cap isclosed. A toggle clamp 35 carried by the: top of the casing engages witha detent 36 on the rim. of the end cap to lock.- the latter in closedposition.

fMy novel filter clamp or coupling comprises a soft rubberfrusto-conical ring, generally designated 37 having a flange 38'projecting from its underside. The coupling member is cradled in asemi-circular notch .39 formed in the upper edge of a plate 40 hinged at41 to the lower inlet edge of the filter chamber. As clearly shown 'byFigures 2v and 3, plate 40 covers the lower half of the filter chamberinlet and itsv opposite side edges seat against depressed channels 42.formed in the inturned rim of ring 33. The filter coupling 37 is securedin place incut-out 39 by means of rivets. or the like 43 passing throughflange 38.

The smaller innermost end of the coupling :has a low radially projectingannular ring or flange 44 adapted to seat against the inner .of thefilter bag inlet. Projecting radially from the sides of the coupling area-series of ribs or fins 45, the innermost edges 46 of which slopedownwardly to a point spaced slightly rearward of .a-nn-ular flange 44.Thus, the base of the inner ends of finscooperate with the adjacent Wallof flange 44 to form a narrow groove or seat 47 for the edge of thefilter inlet. Normally, of course, the coupling 37 occupies the-circularexpanded position represented by the full lines. in Figure 3. However,it is readily collapsible :so asv to occupy a smaller cross sectionmerely by applying radial pressure downwardly from the top wallthereof--as represented by the dotted line in Figure 3.. When socollapsed, it will be readily apparent that the inner end can be :easilyinserted through the inlet opening of a filter bag.

One type of .a simple throw-away paper filter bag is shown in Figures 1to 3. Thus, the filter bag generally designated 48 comprises a tubularmain body provided with inwardly folding pleats 49 on its opposite sidefor convenient handling and compact packaging. The innermost end of themain body is overturned and sealed closed as indicated at 50. Theopposite end is formed like a conventional flat bottom grocery sack andis provided with an inlet opening 51 in the center thereof. If desiredthis opening may be reinforced as by a paper ring 52 glued to the bottomof the bag in registry with opening 51. Usually, however, such areinforcing ring is not necessary since the bottom is formed by severallayers of overlapping paper glued together to form an airtight closurefor the bag. Opening 51 is preferably slightly smaller in diameter thanthe base of groove 47 in the resilient coupling 37. Accordingly, theexpansion of this ring to its normal full diameter forces the base ofgroove 47 tightly against the inlet rim of the filter bag therebyproviding an airtight seal. Flange 44 is then seated tightly against theinner rim of the filter opening and the cammed lower edges 46 of ribs45.

Operation Let it be assumed that the operator wishes to install a newfilter bag in the cleaner. She first releases toggle 3S and opens theend cap downwardly against the floor. The filter bags, as manufactured,are folded flat with the bottom of the bag folded downwardly against theflattened body of the bag. The operator grasps the upper rim edge of thebottom and lifts or rotates it until the plane of the bottom lies normalto the flat main body of the bag. Thereafter, the operator inserts thefilter downwardly into the filter chamber after first swinging plate 40carrying the collapsible coupling outwardly for greater convenience indropping the filter into the cleaner. The operator then places her indexfinger along the top side of the coupling and depresses it downwardly tothe collapsed position shown by dotted lines in Figure 3. While it isheld in this position, she guides the inner end of the collapsedcoupling into inlet opening 51 of the filter bag. For greaterconvenience in guiding the coupling into the filter opening, theoperator preferably places the lower edge of the filter bottom in theY-shaped notch provided by bracket 53. As soon as groove 47 of thecoupling lies in the plane of the filter inlet opening, the operatorreleases the pressure on the coupling allowing it to expand under itsown resiliency and in so doing keeps the coupling pressed inwardlyslightly so that the outer rim of the filter opening is guided intogroove 47 by the cammed edges 46 of fins 45.

The end cap may now be swung to closed position and latched there bytoggle 35. As the end cap closes, sealing gasket 34- bears against theopposite side edges of plate 40 and forces it into seating engagement indepressions 42 of ring 33. The frusto-conical walls 32 of the hosecoupling also seat firmly against the inner walls of coupling 37 to forman airtight seal between the hose coupling and the filter coupling whenthe end cap is in closed position.

As soon as the motor-fan unit is energized the fan will draw airinwardly through coupling 32 and expand the filter bag to its fullyinflated position. The usual cleaning hose and cleaning tools arecoupled to socket 32 and the cleaner can then be used in a conventionalmanner to clean the floor, furniture, draperies and the like.

The removal of the dirt filled filter bag is accomplished in a verysimple manner. Toggle 35 is first opened and the cover is swung to openposition thereby releasing plate 40 so that it may be swung outwardly.The operator then places her index finger on the top of coupling 37 anddepresses it as she grasps the top edge of the filter bottom with theother hand and withdraws it from the collapsed end of the coupling. Anew filter is then reinstalled in the cleaner in the same mannerdescribed above and the end cap is latched in closed position.

If preferred, coupling 37 may be provided with a manual operator forcollapsing it of the type illustrated in Figure 4. The collapsiblecoupling 37 is substantially identical with that just described and iscarried in a notch 39 of pivoting plate 40'. The manual collapsing meansfor the coupling comprises a loop of wire 55 encircling the coupling andhaving an operating handle slidably mounted on the outer wall of plane40" by a clip 56. The lower end 57 is bent upwardly and looped to form afinger piece by which loop 55 may be depressed downwardly toward thepivoted edge of the plate. The upper edge of loop 55 seats in notches 58formed in ribs From the foregoing, the operation of the manual operatorwill be quite apparent. Normally, of course, the resiliency of coupling37' will hold loop in the position illustrated. To collapse thecoupling, the operator merely places her thumb or finger on finger piece57 and pushes the same downwardly thereby collapsing the coupling. Assoon as she releases her pressure on the finger piece, the resiliency ofthe coupling will cause it to expand to its normal diameter and returnloop 55 and its attached finger piece to its normal position.

Second embodiment The same or similar parts of another embodimentillustrated in Figure 5 are designated by the same reference charactersused in describing Figure 1 except that they are distinguished by asingle or a double prime. The resilient self-expanding rubber coupling37" differs in being generally cylindrical and in having its inner ordischarge end cut off on the bias as clearly illustrated for greaterconvenience in connecting the coupling to an air inlet opening 51'formed in the flat side wall of the nonreusable paper filter bag 60.This filter bag is made in the same general manner as described inconnection with the first embodiment except that the inlet opening islocated in one of the flat side walls adjacent the end thereof oppositethe flat bottom 61 of the filter. Inlet opening 51' may be andpreferably is reinforced with a relatively stiff plate 52' glued to theside wall of the bag and having a tab 62 projecting beyond the outermostend of the filter and forming a finger piece as a convenience to theoperator in assembling and disassembling the filter on coupling 37".

As described previously, the collapsible coupling 37 is seated orcradled in a semi-circular notch formed in the top edge of a plate 40"hinged to the cleaner casing at 41. Accordingly, it will be understoodthat the upper half of the coupling is freely accessible to theoperators fingers so that it can be collapsed downwardly against thelower wall of the coupling when assembling or disassembling the filterbag. The outer end of coupling 37" is flared outwardly at 63 and forms aseat against which the inwardly flared ring 64 of the hose coupling 32'seats in an airtight manner when end cap 30' is locked in closedposition.

It will be appreciated that since coupling 37 is cylindrical in crosssection and is cut off on a bias, that the filter seating groove 47" iselliptical. Accordingly, filter inlet opening 51 must be of acorresponding elliptical shape but is preferably slightly smaller inarea for obvious reasons. In consequence, the expansion of the couplingto its normal shape and size results in the slight deformation of theedges of the filter inlet thereby assuring an airtight seal with thefilter bag. The bias cut also provides a pilot of considerableassistance in guiding the coupling into the filter inlet.

The elliptically shaped opening in the filter bag also r gives assurancethat the filter will always be assembled in the proper orientationwithin the filter chamber. This is of particular importance where thebag has an irregu lar cross section such as the trapezoidal shapeclearly illustrated in Figure 3. From this figure it will be observedthat the top edge of the filter bag is narrower than the bottom edge tocorrespond with the similar dimensions of the adjacent sides of thecleaner casing. Obviously, it would be undesirable to mount such afilter bag with the wider edge uppermost. Of course, where the inletopening is in the flat bottom of the filter, as it is in the firstdescribed emhodimentsi is quite appsen to the operator that zthe bagshould be so oriented as to correspond to the shape of the casing beforeit is inserted into the filterchamher. However, relationship ,-is not soreadily apparent when the inlet is located in the side wall of the bagasit is -.in :the Figure embodiment.

After the filter has been assembled to the inner end of the resilientcoupling, theendcap isswung ;to clos ed position so that in-turnedflange 64 seats tightly against the out-turned flange 63 on the outerend ,of the coupling. At the same time, gasket 34 seats against ring 33'to form a seal at this point. Toggle clamp 35 is then closed againstdetent 36 to lock the cover closed. The manner of removing the filterwhen filled with dirt will be selfapparent from the foregoing andtherefore need not be further described.

Third embodiment Still another embodiment of the invention isillustrated in Figure -6 wherein vthe sarne or similarparts are.designated by the same nun; a1 as in the other views but aredistinguished by double npigiple primes. 'llhis embodiment differs fromthe other arrangements int-hat the colaps bbe e uplin isee r d :hv epl es e e y t end ear 3!)" :a h s ews 6.6 and in feet, fo m -the inner wa le sheend sea Th up is held firmly in place on wall 65 by means ofannular ribs 67 p oj a y new the body of the oupli th u h th eup insembe n t shown a p v with fins 45, it will be obvious that these rn aybe present to assist in guiding the filter inlet into position intheseating a se li 3 993 T e n ne sab p p filter bag 48' is shown in aninflated condition in Figure 6 an the filter i e .5 .0ea. ed e nt e v vot a bo tom of h has i e nier e by a stif p pe cellar ed o st t hed in pcei i e q e apparent the-t hi ot .pe s h the pe a t e len the c up inwith he f e a i t other embodiments. Instead, an L-shaped manually .opee collapsi means 1 i eip. ee bl .me e on the e can h sh rte e -eX ndthrou h pe ng i fl n es 7 alen h opside Q th eo pl n he l nge e ex e dth ou h an open ng i -snppe ing b cke 2 nd th u h an e ensuin in a d pse wal port o 73 of h end eeph eemp e n p g 74 su ound t e l nger e *O een bears ains a k t 72 wh l he ethe end bears a i a e lar 75 anchored torod 70. A suitable thumb piece 76 is mounted on the end of the rod in aconvenient-position to be contacted by the operatorsthurnb (prfinger.Norv, f u e, t e sp i e d e m nual op ator in the position shown whiehcorresponds to the normal expanded position of coupling 37".

Th su tion h se earrie a ho lo mal o p i tube 78 which extends thrpllgband seats in the coupling socket 32" carried by the end cap. Thennermost end of this tube extends into the interior of eouplin-g 37" inan airtight fit which is facilitated by the tapered inner end of thetube. Tube 78 is locked in place by a spring detent 79 which engages ashoulder carried by the hose socket. A button 80 serves to depress latch79 to unlock the hose when it is desired to remove it. Note that theoutermost end f up term nates elese o u sp c f m the inner end .ofcoupling socket '3 Accordingly, the flexible pl ng s f ee to e ee lepsedhou int r enee from the hose soeket.

To r move th filte has, the ope a or releases t toggle latch 35" andswings the cover partially toward open position after first detachinghose 77 from the end cap. She then depresses the manual operator bypressing downwardly .on thumb piece 76 causing shorter leg 71'tocollapse the top wall of the couplingdownwardly toward the lower wallthereby releasing the filter so that it can be withdrawn from the innerend of the coupling. After the dirt filled bag is withdrawn from thefilter chamber,

a new .one assembled grasping the upper edge of the bottom and ins r inghe inlet .51" over the end {of the eoupling as it is .held col1apsed bydepressing the manual operator button '76. As soon as the inlet is inthe plane .of seating groove 47", the thumb .piece is released allowingthe coupling to expand against the edge of 'the'filter opening. The .endcap is then closed and locked, and the flexible hose is reconnected tosocket 52".

While 1 have shown and described but three embodiment of my i ent on, iis .to e unders oo -that thes em odimen are t b ta en as illus rativeonlvend no in .a limiting e I do not wish-t0 be limi ed to he Particularstructure shown and described but to include all equivalent variationsexcept as limited .by the scope of the =claims.

I claim:

n eem a i n with a tank type uction c eaner having :a :fi ter chamberpro ide with a la gearea inle opening fo th nsertion nd removal of filtehag therethro h, a ww y paper filter hag hav ng a relatively s al are ne pe ing throug a wall th re f, .a resilient self-expanding tubularcoupling carried' by said ne having its axis ext nding in a dire tioncrosswis of ;a wall of said filter chamber whereby means providing anair flow ipas sage can be connected to the outer end thereof, meansadjacent the opposite inner end of said coupling defining a narrowfilter seating groove .of a size and shape to seat and grip the rim edgeof .said :filter in et opening in an air tight manner, the wall of saidresilient coupling being collapsible inwardly toward the axis of said.coupling .to reduce the cross sectional area thereof so that the filterinlet of said filter can be inserted over the end of the collapsedcoupling until the plane of .said inlet lies in the plane of saidcoupling seating groove whereby said coupling when allowed to expandunder its own resiliency returns to its normal shape with .the rim ofsaid filter inlet seated in said groove and forming an airtight sealtherewith.

2. A suction cleaner having a casing forming a filter bag housing, meansproviding an air inletpassage extend- .ing through the wall of saidhousing, means for detachabl-y connecting a throw-away paper filter bag.to said air inlet passage, means including a resilient tubularselfexpanding coupling having an inner discharge end ter- Initiatingwithin said filter chamber, .means supporting said coupling so that atleast .one side thereof is free for depression inwardly toward the axisthereof to reduce its cross sectional area so that its said dischargeend can be readilyinsert'ed into an inlet opening through a wall of saidfilter bag, means providing a narrow outwardly opening filter sea-tinggroove on the outer wall and adjacent the discharge end of saidcoupling, the bottom of said groove having substantially the samecircumferential length and shape as that or" said filter inlet openingwhereby said coupling can be collapsed sufiiciently for the dischargeend thereof to be inserted readily into said filter inlet and thenallowed to expand with the rim edge of the filter seated in said grooveand forming an airtight seal therewith.

3. A suction cleaner as defined in claim 2 wherein said filter chamberhousing has a large area opening through the wall thereof, a closuremember for said opening, said air inlet passage means extending throughsaid closure member, and said self-expanding filter coupling beinglocated on the inner side of said closure member.

4. Asuction cleaner as defined in claim 3 wherein said self-expandingfilter coupling includes means for mounting the same directly on saidclosure member.

5. A suction cleaner as defined in claim 3 including means movablysupported by the filter chamber housing for supporting saidself-expanding filter coupling with 6. A suction cleaner comprising ahousing forming a filterchamber having a large area opening in the wallthereof normally covered by a closure member, said closure member havinga passage therethrough forming a combined air inlet passage, and suctionhose socket, a filter coupling support member movably supported on saidcasing inwardly of and adjacent said large area opening, aself-expanding resilient tubular filter coupling secured to said supportmember with its outer inlet end adapted to form an airtight joint withthe end of said hose socket, the outer peripheral edge of the dischargeend of said coupling having means thereon forming a narrow seatinggroove adapted to receive and form an airtight seal with the rim edgesof the inlet opening through a side wall of an air pervious paper filterbag, and said filter coupling being readily collapsible lengthwisethereof to facilitate the assembly of said coupling into and disassemblyfrom the inlet opening of a filter bag and being adapted to return toits norinal expanded condition automatically as soon as the collapsingpressure applied thereto is removed.

7. A suction cleaner as defined in claim 6 wherein the discharge end ofsaid self-expanding filter coupling is cut ofi on a plane at an angle tothe axis of said coupling and wherein said filter seating groove lies ina plane generally parallel to the inclined discharge end thereof.

8. In combination with a filter bag housing comprising a chamber havinga large area opening in one wall thereof to receive a filter bag, aclosure member for said opening hinged to said housing near one edge ofsaid opening, plate means hingedly connected to said casing inwardly ofsaid closure member and arranged to swing between a closed positionparallel to said opening and an open position outwardly away from saidopening, a suction hose socket extending through and supported by saidclosure member, a resilient tubular self-expanding filter couplingsupported intermediate the ends thereof along one edge of said platemeans, and so positioned that the outer end thereof is in alignment withthe inner end of said hose socket when said closure member is closed, anon-reusable paper filter bag Within said filter chamber having arelatively small area inlet opening through the wall thereof, flangemeans projecting from the outer wall of said filter coupling adjacentthe inner end thereof arranged to fit snugly against the inner and outerrim edges of said filter inlet opening to hold the same assembled tosaid filter coupling and the side walls of said filter coupling beingcollapsible inwardly toward the axis thereof to disengage the same fromthe filter bag so that the latter may be disconnected and removed fromsaid coupling.

9. The combination defined in claim 8 wherein said I filter bag has atubular main body having pleats extending along the opposite sidesthereof and a fiat end lying gen erally normal to the side walls of saidmain body, said inlet opening being located in a non-pleated Wallportion of said filter and at one end of said tubular body portion.

10. The combination defined in claim 9 wherein said inlet opening isformed in said flat end wall lying generally normal to the side walls ofthe tubular main body thereof.

11. A tank type suction cleaner comprising a tubular housing, meansdividing said housing into a power driven air spction device compartmentand a filter chamber, a large area opening in the wall of said filterchamber, a closure member normally closing said opening, said closuremember having a suction hose socket seating therein opening into saidfilter chamber, means supporting a tubular filter coupling having aninlet adapted to lie in alignment with said hose socket when saidclosure member is in closed position and a discharge end projecting intosaid filter chamber, said filter coupling being formed of fiexibleresilient material normally expanded to the full diameter thereof butbeing collapsible inwardly lengthwise thereof to facilitate the assemblyof the discharge end through an opening in the wall of a paper filterbag, flange means on the outer wall of said discharge end [iii adaptedto closely embrace the inner and outer rims of a filter inlet opening tohold a filter assembly to said coupling and being disengageabletherefrom by collapsing one side wall of said coupling toward theopposite wall thereof.

12. A tank type suction cleaner as defined in claim 11 including a paperfilter bag therein made in the form of a grocery sack of the type havinga flat bottom and inwardly extending pleats along the opposite sidesthereof whereby the same can be folded flat until installed in thecleaner, said filter having an inlet opening in a fiat wall thereof,relatively stiff means secured to the outer rim of said inlet openinghaving an extension from one side thereof forming a finger piece bymeans of which said inlet opening may be guided into position over thedischarge end of said filter coupling as the same is held collapsed.

13. A tank type suction cleaner as defined in claim 11 includingmanually operable means operatively associated with said filter couplingand operable when depressed to collapse one wall of said coupling towardthe opposite wall thereof to facilitate the assembly and disassembly ofa filter bag to and from said coupling.

14. A suction cleaner filter bag housing closed except for a large areainlet'opening, a closure member normally seated across and closing saidopening, means forming a suction hose socket supported by said closureand having an inner end opening into said filter chamber, meanssupporting an open ended tubular self-expanding filter coupling inalignment with the inner end of said hose socket, the outlet end of saidcoupling having a plurality of projections extending outwardly from theouter wall thereof and cooperating with one another to form a narrowseating groove of a width to snugly embrace the inner and outer rim ofan inlet opening through a Wall of a paper filter bag and to hold thesame in place on the inner end of said coupling, one wall of saidcoupling being free to move radially inward toward the opposite wall ofthe coupling when pressure is applied thereto from the exterior of saidcoupling.

15. A suction cleaner filter chamber as defined in claim 14 includingmanually operable means movably carried by said closure member forcollapsing said coupling, said means having one portion thereof normallylying closely adjacent the exterior of the said freely movable wall ofsaid coupling and another portion accessible from the exterior of saidclosure member for operating the same, said manually operable meansbeing operable when depressed to collapse said coupling.

16. A suction cleaner filter chamber for a dirt filter bag, one portionof said chamber having spaced apart inner and outer walls, provided withaligned air inlet openings, an open ended self-expanding tubular filtercoupling extending through the opening in said inner wall and supportedthereon intermediate the ends thereof, said coupling being formed offlexible resilient material and at least one wall thereof being free tomove inwardly toward the opposite wall thereof, means on the exterior ofthe inner end of said coupling to embrace the inner and outer rims of afilter inlet opening through the wall of a paper filter when telescopedover the inner end of said coupling, the interior Wall of the oppositeinlet end of said coupling being adapted to receive and seat the end ofa suction hose when the latter is-telescoped thereinto through theopening in the outer of said filter chamber walls.

17. A suction cleaner filter chamber as defined in claim 16 includingmanually operable means for collapsing said filter coupling tofacilitate the assembly of a filter bag to the inner end thereof, saidmanually operable means being movably supported on said filter chamberwith one portion thereof adjacent the exterior of said freely movablewall of said coupling and the other end thereof extending to a pointconveniently accessible to the operator.

18. A suction cleaner filter chamber having a large area opening for theinsertion and removal of a filter bag, a selfexpanding tubular filtercoupling made of flexible resilient material, means supporting saidcoupling intermediate the ends thereof, said means extending inwardlytoward the axis of said filter chamber opening and hingedly supportedfrom a point adjacent the rim of said opening whereby said coupling maybe swung toward and away from the plane of said opening for conveniencein inserting or removing a filter bag from said filter chamber, theinner end of said coupling having means for releasably holding a filterbag in place thereon, a closure member for said filter chamber openinghaving a suction hose socket extending therethrough and positioned tointerfit telescopically with the outer end of said filter coupling whensaid closure member is in closed position.

19. A suction cleaner filter chamber as defined in claim 18 wherein saidsuction hose socket and the adjacent end of said filter coupling havecomplementary tapered walls and wherein said hose socket projects intothe inlet end of said coupling and prevents the walls of the couplingfrom collapsing inwardly when said closure member is in closed position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,566,275 White Aug. 28, 1951

